Man (51) accused of facilitating criminal organisation in bank card fraud

Tom Tuite

A 51-year-old man has been remanded in custody after being accused of facilitating a criminal organisation in a bank card fraud.

William Oshingbeme appeared before Judge Ciaran Liddy at Dublin District Court, the third man to face charges connected to a Garda National Economic Crime Bureau investigation.

The accused, originally from Nigeria, has lived in Ireland since 2001 and has an address at Ardmore Court, Fortunestown, Dublin 24.

He faces a charge under section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006, for enhancing a criminal organisation to use Bank of Ireland cards fraudulently.

He also has charges of theft by withdrawing €700 three times and using a card to purchase two phones and headphones worth a total of €2,997.

He is also accused of theft of Covid-19 pandemic payments worth €20,000.

The offences allegedly happened in 2023 and 2024.

Detective Garda Shane Devereux said the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed trial on indictment, meaning Oshingbeme's case will be heard in the Circuit Court; however, the State has yet to serve a book of evidence on him.

The detective said additional charges were possible.

The organised crime-related offence requires a High Court bail application, so he was automatically remanded to prison.

He has yet to indicate a plea and will appear again next week.

Two other men are before the courts on linked allegations, having already been charged earlier.

Father of seven, Olatunde Salawe, of no fixed address in London, was alleged to have used fake AI-generated documents to obtain more than a hundred credit cards.

It was alleged he engaged in money laundering connected to an €800,000 fraud, and had been flying to Dublin weekly to collect the dole.

He and another co-accused are due back in court later this month to be served with books of evidence.